# Coolidor and Temperature Control



## macster (Jun 26, 2008)

I'm a noob here and definitely sliding down the slippery slope.

Currently I have a 25 and 20 count traditional wood humidors. However, my collection is growing quickly and to avoid the rut of continuing to purchase more and bigger humidors I think its time to consider putting together a coolidor.

My concern is living here in FL I can't afford to keep the house temp below 70*F. Usually the temp runs 75* in the house, of course too warm for cigar storage.

Being a homebrewer and craft beer collector I have a chest freezer in my garage with an external Johnson Digital Contoller. I am currently storing my 2 wood humidors in the freezer (along with my beer) set at 63*F which seems to work well. However, with my beer collection no room to store a big cooler of stogies.

Was wondering how I may go the coolidor route and still keep the internal temp in the 65* range? Would the refreezable blue ice packs inside the cooler work? (of corse with a humidity beads, Oust fan, etc.) 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. THANKS!!


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## ucubed (May 15, 2008)

I too live in Florida. The freezer packs will cause the humidty to dry up and then exceed limitations, even with beads. I've tried it with frozen distilled water. I tend not to bother with the temp because I can't get it down anyways. I did freeze all my cigars so the beetle thing won't be as prevelant, other than that a vino is the way to go.


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## wharfrathoss (Dec 27, 2006)

the refreezeable blue ice pks work fine for me-i just wrap them in an old tshirt or towel & put 'em in the cooler, switch 'em out in the AM-never had the RH "dry up" personally-the cooler is sealed, doesn't breathe unlike a humi-there's no place for the humidity to go-if condensation forms on the ice pks (which is why i wrap them in a towel) the moisture is already in the cooler, it's just forming on the ice pks since they're colder-you may notice some wierd hygro readings, for some reason the temp they're at when calibrated is the temp they're accurate at-i'm not going to get into the relative vs. actual humidity discussion but if you search for it you'll see what i'm talking about-using beads i don't worry-hope this helps


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## DonnieW (Jul 2, 2008)

macster said:


> My concern is living here in FL I can't afford to keep the house temp below 70*F. Usually the temp runs 75* in the house, of course too warm for cigar storage.


75 degrees is perfectly fine. Sheesh, my office often hits 80 with all the stuff running in here. 4 years, no humidity problems, no mold, no bugs, no bad sticks period!

Aging stuff, different story if the temps are excessively warm (75+) all the time.


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## DonnieW (Jul 2, 2008)

And on behalf of all us Northern/Canadian folks... *Stop complaining about your beautiful 75 degree Florida weather, we know it's rough!*. :r

It's snowing here... I can't get the temp above freezing.


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## hoax (Aug 7, 2007)

Personally I freeze my sticks to kill off an beetles then just don't worry to much about the temperature.

Just think how hot it is in warehouses where they store the tobacco.


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## borndead1 (Oct 21, 2006)

http://cgi.ebay.com/Coleman-ThermoE...ryZ16035QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Thermoelectric cooler.



But you may as well just shell out another hundred or so and get a VinoTemp.

http://cgi.ebay.com/AVANTI-EWC28-BO...ryZ71264QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


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## sqhertz (Jul 9, 2008)

i was just about to ask something similar to this.
since im in miami with our oh-so nice 90+* weather and soaking high humidity , my room stays around 80* with the computer and everything running. 

-just checked with my temp gun , and everything seems to be 80-86* in here and probably a little cooler at night.

i havnt started my coolerdor yet , but would i have a problem keeping the cooler in here with temps that high? i did order a tube of the beads and am calibrating the hygrometer as i type.


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## DonnieW (Jul 2, 2008)

sqhertz said:


> i was just about to ask something similar to this.
> since im in miami with our oh-so nice 90+* weather and soaking high humidity , my room stays around 80* with the computer and everything running.
> 
> -just checked with my temp gun , and everything seems to be 80-86* in here and probably a little cooler at night.
> ...


If it's just a coolerdor, why not keep it in a room without the computer, or even the basement if one exists??


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## sqhertz (Jul 9, 2008)

lol. no basement in south florida unless you either have money to dig through coral , dont mind your house flooding , or both.
i dont really have anywhere else to put it and the house is really about the same temp everywhere this time of year.


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## DonnieW (Jul 2, 2008)

Ahh, Miami.

Like borndead1 posted, you can do the cooled coolerdor. How low does the temp go in the evenings in Miami?


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## sqhertz (Jul 9, 2008)

i could go that route , but id prefer not to. i already have enough things in here giving off heat , i dont need anymore.

http://weather.yahoo.com/forecast/USFL0316.html

highs in the upper 80's-90s , lows in the high 70's.


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## ucubed (May 15, 2008)

Surprised the icepacks worked for you. I've tried many ways with icepacks and what not, and none of them work


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## macster (Jun 26, 2008)

I appreciate all the input and feedback on this guys.

Some addtional thoughts:

* The Coleman Thermoelectric Cooler looked like the answer for something affordable. However, customer reviews of the product on Amazon and Wal-Mart rated its reliability and function quite poorly.

* I have been doing the 24-48-24 fridge/freezer/fridge routine with all of my cigar purchases so I would guess this should(?) take care of the beetles. However, from a lot of what I have read storing your cigars at 75-76* F is NOT recommended.

* Perhaps I should just buy a few old cigar boxes or some of the cheaper 20 ct. humis you can find on CBid alonf with some beads and just use my chest freezer. With it set in the 63-65* range isn't it the same concept as the VinoTemp? I keep a few containers of Damp Rid inside the freezer to soak up most of the condensation that builds up due to it being in a hot, humid garage. 

* One question I did have is when I see postings of pics of coolidors I see many times they will have their sacks or trays of humidity beads, but have many of their cigars in plastic zip lock bags. How can the proper level of humidity reach and effect the cigars placed in sealed plastic bags?

* The other option is trying the refreezable blue ice packs in a sealed palstic bag wrapped in a towel in the cooler.

Thanks to all again.


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## Sting Ray (Jul 21, 2008)

sqhertz said:


> i was just about to ask something similar to this.
> since im in miami with our oh-so nice 90+* weather and soaking high humidity , my room stays around 80* with the computer and everything running.
> 
> -just checked with my temp gun , and everything seems to be 80-86* in here and probably a little cooler at night.
> ...


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## sqhertz (Jul 9, 2008)

Sting Ray said:


> sqhertz said:
> 
> 
> > i was just about to ask something similar to this.
> ...


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## Starchild (Jul 14, 2008)

I'm dealing with the same issue myself. I don't have the space for a vino or the like, so I've decided to just do small tuperador (2 boxes) with beads kept in a dark closet. The temp inside is 78*, probably a bit cooler in the closet. It's the best I can do right now.

There is an old wine fridge laying around the office that I need to snag when I get my garage built.

This cigar bug bites HARD :ss


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## sqhertz (Jul 9, 2008)

well , ive had the cooler in a different room in the house for a couple days and it stays between 75-80*f with nothing in it. i just got my oliva sampler in yesterday, had a serie v perfecto , and i see myslf tumbling down the slope already.
is that high of a temp ok to be storing cigars in? im assuming the 65% beads with stay throwing out 65% regaurdless of what temp it is , correct?


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## pro2625 (Jun 25, 2008)

My desktop humi runs about 77 degrees and I dont freeze any of my sticks....No problems so far....I am going to start a coolerdor soon though and plan to keep it in my closet so hopefully it runs cooler


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## borndead1 (Oct 21, 2006)

Should you *worry* about beetles? No. Should you be *concerned* about beetles? Most definitely. When I was a noob my humidor sat at over 80* many times and I've never had a beetle problem. Taking preventative measures (freezing) and inspecting your cigars are 2 of the 3 defenses against beetles. The third is climate control.

What I would worry about is my cigars sitting in 80* temperatures all the time--not so much about beetles but what those kind of sustained temperatures would do to my cigars themselves. Cigars are like wine. They need to be stored in proper conditions at all times. It's not so bad if you are only an occasional smoker with a 25 count desktop humidor that is emptied/filled fairly regularly. But in my opinion you do need to come up with a climate control plan for your stogies sooner rather than later. :2


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## sqhertz (Jul 9, 2008)

borndead1 said:


> Should you *worry* about beetles? No. Should you be *concerned* about beetles? Most definitely. When I was a noob my humidor sat at over 80* many times and I've never had a beetle problem. Taking preventative measures (freezing) and inspecting your cigars are 2 of the 3 defenses against beetles. The third is climate control.
> 
> What I would worry about is my cigars sitting in 80* temperatures all the time--not so much about beetles but what those kind of sustained temperatures would do to my cigars themselves. Cigars are like wine. They need to be stored in proper conditions at all times. It's not so bad if you are only an occasional smoker with a 25 count desktop humidor that is emptied/filled fairly regularly. But in my opinion you do need to come up with a climate control plan for your stogies sooner rather than later. :2


beetles... where exactly do they come from? i mean , if my cooler has a pretty good seal , should i still need to worry about them?
and yes , i really dont see myself filling it up with boxes right from the start. maybe a bundle and some singles (for now) , smoking the old and replacing with new.
its only around this time of year that the temps are like this , and it gets worse every year down here. hopefully late next year ill be in NC and wont have to worry about this. i have a 9 quart cooler for now ,but i am thinking about grabbing one of those 50+ count imperfects from CH.com.


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## ucubed (May 15, 2008)

Because the lack of use of pesticides, you can't really solve the problem of beetles because there will be eggs. Once the right temperature and humidity mix, it doesn't matter if your cooler has a good seal, the beetles will grow and eat through your cigar.


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